Metro parapet collapse: Police launch hunt for welder accused of cutting interlock
Police have written to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority seeking a detailed report on the roles of all firms and employees involved, along with a technical audit of the site.
Investigation underway at the site where a portion of a cement metro pillar collapsed during the construction work and fell onto it, at LBS Road, Mulund, in Mumbai. (Source: ANI) Police have launched a manhunt for the welder accused of cutting a critical interlocking hook, moments before a Metro 4 parapet wall collapsed in Mulund on February 14, killing one person and injuring three others.
Mulund police have formed a special five-member team headed by the Crime Inspector to probe the incident, even as two teams have been sent out of Maharashtra to trace the welder, Ram Ashish, and another wanted accused, Sai Suresh, who allegedly fled after the collapse.
Senior officers said Ashish’s last known location was traced to Uttar Pradesh.
According to investigators, Ashish, a resident of Kalwa in Thane with over 22 years of experience as a welder, had been hired by Milan Road Buildtech, the subcontractor responsible for building the stretch of the Metro. He is suspected to have cut the interlock between two parapet segments shortly before the structure fell. Police are verifying how long he had been deployed at the metro construction site.
Sai Suresh, the second absconding accused, was working as a consultant with DB Hill LBG, the supervisory firm for the project.
Police are also trying to locate four to five labourers who were working near the spot and fled in panic after the collapse. While their role has not been established, officers believe they could be crucial witnesses in reconstructing the sequence of events.
An FIR has been registered against seven persons under Sections 105 culpable homicide not amounting to murder, 110 attempt to commit culpable homicide, 324 mischief causing loss or damage of one lakh rupees or more, and 35 common intention of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Five officials have been arrested so far: Harish Chauhan, project director; Kuldeep Sapkal, project manager; Saurab Singh and Prashant Bhoir, deputy manager and project manager respectively of Milan Road Buildtech; and Avdhoot Inamdar, Project Manager of DB Hill LBG. They have been remanded in police custody till February 18.
During questioning, supervisor Prashant Bhoir told police he had warned Ashish not to cut the interlock between the parapet segments shortly before the incident. Bhoir claimed he moved ahead to oversee other work and within about 15 minutes the parapet collapsed onto an autorickshaw.
Police have written to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority seeking a detailed report on the roles of all firms and employees involved, along with a technical audit of the site. Officers said the MMRDA has assured them the reports will be submitted soon.
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